


Warmth

by KirbyWrites



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Sickfic, birb ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-26 21:54:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20749358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KirbyWrites/pseuds/KirbyWrites
Summary: Thanks to their bond, Robin can feel what Raven's feeling, and vice versa. So when he suddenly starts feeling ill one morning, there's only one explanation.





	Warmth

“Raven? You haven't come out of your room today. What's up?” Silence from the empath's room answered him, and Robin's suspicions grew.

First, he'd awoken with a splitting headache, and even after he'd downed a glass of water, his throat felt dry and uncomfortable. It was only after he'd been forced to take a break in the gym because of how exhausted he was- hours before he normally would- that he really started questioning it. After ascertaining that he'd been fine the night before, Robin could only come up with one conclusion; it was Raven's pain.

Aside from the pain he felt, the mental bond they shared was silent, and that in itself was a rarity. The empath tended to open up when there wasn't a chance of anyone listening, and they often talked even if they were on opposite sides of the tower. Then there was the fact that she didn't show up at the roof to watch the sunrise with him- like they had every morning since Trigon’s defeat- and after breakfast, Robin couldn't find her reading or meditating anywhere.

He knew how secretive she could be, but it was more like she was purposefully avoiding everyone than being her usual secretive self.

“Rave, you know if something's wrong, you can always talk to me,” the leader called, pressing his ear to her door to hear the response. Again, mostly silence answered him, but this time, he could hear someone calling his name. Was it her?

“Something's definitely wrong, Raven. I'm coming in to check on you. And before you ask, no, I won't touch anything or let anyone else in your room and yes, I will close the door behind me.” He slid the door open and walked in, closing the metal behind him. 

“Robin… over here…” That was _ definitely _ her. But Raven's voice was quieter than usual and it wavered from her normal monotone. Yes, she preferred to keep silent if talking wasn't necessary, but this was a different kind of quiet. The leader soon found Raven curled up on her bed, the blankets nearly covering her entire form. His eyes widened when he saw her; the empath's sharp amethyst eyes were dull and glazed over, and her hair was unkempt, parts of it damp from sweat. Robin sat down on the edge of her bed.

“Rae, what's wrong? You're normally out and about at this time,” the leader said, gently caressing her. 

“I-I don't know…” Raven murmured quietly, closing her eyes and shivering. “I feel terrible, I can't even get up without feeling exhausted and everything's a blurry, whirling mess… not to mention that I'm basically freezing here…” Robin felt the empath's forehead, running his fingers over her ruby chakra stone, and flinched when he felt intense heat. 

“Raven, you… you're sick! Why didn't you tell me before? Is this why you collapsed yesterday while we were fighting Plasmus?”

She shrank deeper into her blankets, clutching the edges with her fists. “I'm sorry, Robin… I swear I didn't know, I thought I was just tired…”

“Raven, please. It's alright. Wasn't your fault, never was. You want me to get you something to drink? Maybe food?”

“Just tea, I think… my throat's killing me…” 

The leader smiled and held one of her hands in his. “One cup of hot herbal tea, coming right up! Make sure to stay in bed, Rae, and I'll be right back.”

To her, it seemed like Robin was gone for a millennia. Raven couldn't stand feeling so weak and helpless, unable to do anything without help.

She found a book on the floor and picked it up to read, hoping it would cure her restlessness. But the words swam in front of her eyes, only making her dizzier, so the empath dropped it again and stared at the ceiling.

When she heard the door opening, Raven jolted up, a weak smile on her face, and regretted it when the movement made her feel nauseous. Robin was immediately at her side, one hand stroking her head and the other placing the cup of tea down before gently easing her to lean against the backboard. Once he made sure she was comfortable, he placed an ice pack on her head and held out the cup.

“Your tea,” he said simply. “Hope I made it right. And I got you something to help with your fever.”

The empath laughed softly, coughing a bit after. “I'm sure you did just fine. And thanks for the ice pack, Boy Blunder.” Robin cringed at his Raven-given nickname as she happily took a sip from the cup.

“How many times have I told you not to call me that, Raven?!”

Raven smiled weakly at his reaction. “Lots. But it's still funny watching you react to it.” She took another sip and the leader huffed indignantly, but he sat down at the edge of her bed anyway. 

“You'll feel better soon, Rae,” he reassured. “Just you wait. I promise to take care of you, and I'll even give you the day off.”

“You doing it for yourself or for me? I know you can feel my pain,” Raven teased. But she smiled soon afterwards, bringing the blankets to her chest. “And a day off sounds… amazing. Thank you.” But even as she spoke, the empath knew what the answer to her question would be; she normally sensed a mix of emotions from him, but today, she could only feel one.

It was worry.

Worry for her, she realized. If she dug further into his emotions, Raven could glimpse a tiny flame of hope- and that was as far as she got before Robin mentally pushed her out of his mind.

“Of course I'm doing it for you, Rae! I'm worried sick about you- not literally, of course- and I hate seeing you, the strongest Titan, like this. But if you're going to get better, don't push yourself, okay? You're supposed to be resting, not digging through my emotions.”

Knowing she'd been caught, Raven blushed furiously, bringing the cup higher to cover it. “I'm an empath, Robin. I'm meant to sense emotions. I can't exactly help it, especially when the only thing I can sense is your worry.” 

Robin smiled, though Raven noticed his face turning a deep pink. “I, uh… You should really sleep now, Rave. Like I said, resting. No magic. Sleep. Now.” He took the empty cup and ice pack from her and set them aside, then picked her up despite her protests. The leader set her down and tucked the empath into bed, arranging pillows and blankets to make it as comfortable as he could. Raven nodded off while he was doing so, and Robin only noticed once he was satisfied with his arrangement. 

“No goodnight, I guess… sleep well, Rae.” He pressed a kiss on her forehead before he could regret it, then backed out of her room in embarrassment.

* * *

“It's Overload again!” Cyborg reported, his shout echoing down the hallways of the tower. “He's headed for the city's power plant!” Beast Boy, Starfire, and Robin dashed into the main room, where there was a live feed of said electrical monster rampaging through a street.

“Let's stop him! Titans, go!.. without me,” Robin commanded. The others looked at him confusedly, all of them frozen mid-pose.

“But dude, why?” Beast Boy asked. “And, uh, where's Raven? Doesn't she normally come with us to kick villain butt?” He placed emphasis on the last part by pretending to actually kick something.

“That's the problem. She…”

The leader trailed off, knowing full well he couldn't give the real explanation of why the empath couldn't go with them. They'd all stay behind if he told them, and Overload would wreck the entire city. “She… told me she couldn't sleep last night! Yep, that's it. I gave her the day off today, and even if I didn't, Raven's in no condition to fight crime, especially alone. I'm going to stay here just in case something happens and she can't handle it. Besides, I'll be watching and giving you tips as you go.”

“Booyah!” Cyborg shouted elatedly. “Beast Boy! Starfire! Let's go!” The three of them darted off in pursuit of Overload, leaving Robin in the main room. He immediately booted up the computer and connected to the three Titans’ comms. The leader watched as they jetted towards the electric monster, who was draining a house’s supply of electricity. 

“Beast Boy, provide a distraction while Cyborg and Star blast it!” Robin commanded. The shapeshifter transformed into an eagle and flew around Overload’s head, cawing loudly. Overload tried to swat him away, but the green eagle dodged with uncharacteristic grace before morphing into a dinosaur and landing on its head. On cue, Cyborg and Starfire, both of which had been charging lasers, fired and knocked the electrical monstrosity to the ground.

“That's it! Now fire while he's weak! Full force!” Robin shouted. He ignored the pang in his heart as he saw Overload collapse and shrink; he should've been there.

But then his mind focused on Raven, asleep in her room. She needed someone in her weakened state, and that someone was him. All of a sudden, Robin's muscles tensed and his face felt wet. When he reached up, however, there wasn't anything there.

He stilled and slowly turned to face the empath's room, and the discomfort grew stronger. Abandoning the computer and ignoring Cyborg's shouts, Robin ran to her room and threw open the door.

He glanced around in panic, and once his eyes settled on her bed, he was met with a sight he hoped never to see again.

Raven was_ crying _.

Still asleep, she screamed and buried her face in her pillow, her body shaking from tears. Robin had only seen the empath cry once, and it had taken the end of the world to make her do it. Even then, she hadn't completely broken down like she was doing now. Whatever had happened to make her cry like this, no doubt it was probably worse than the end of the world.

“Raven, wake up!” Robin exclaimed, scooping her up and holding her in his arms. “It's just a nightmare! Nothing you're experiencing is real. Come back to me.” Raven slowly opened her eyes, and when she saw Robin, she hugged him tightly and cried into his chest.

“Thank Azar, it wasn't real… It wasn't real, it wasn't real, it wasn't real…” The empath murmured over and over again, her body wracked with sobs.

“If you want to talk about it, you can,” the leader soothed, stroking her back. “I'm right here.” Raven looked up at him, her face streaked with tears. She slowly mouthed “you died” before sobbing and burying her face in Robin's chest again.

“Oh… Raven, look at me for a minute,” the leader said. She complied, gazing at him with red-rimmed eyes. “I'm not dead. It was a dream. Do you… want to talk about it?”

The empath pushed deeper into Robin's embrace. “It was Slade,” she whispered. “He was fighting you on top of a building and he pushed you off and I flew after you but I couldn't catch you like you always do with me and I could only watch as you slowly died in my arms and Slade got away- oh Robin, it was terrible…”

“Just forget all that. I'm alive, and Slade is nowhere to be seen. You're safe. You're with me.” Deep inside, the leader was touched; never in a million years did he think Raven would cry over him, of all people. But as he watched the empath curl up and relax in the warmth of his hug, Robin felt a swelling in his heart, and he realized that he cared for her much more than he realized- because he loved her.

Once Raven had stopped crying, Robin tucked her back into bed and sat next to her, more than happy to keep her company. “Hey, Rae,” he said, gently stroking her back. “You know, my real name isn't really Robin.”

“It isn't?” She asked skeptically. For once, the intelligent, unflappable empath was confused. 

“I thought you knew, with the mental bond and all.”

“Robin, there are places in your mind that I don't go. Just because we share a mental bond doesn't mean I can delve into your mind.”

“And yet, you can check out my emotions whenever you feel like it.” Raven threw a pillow at him with one arm, her face flaming, and the leader caught it with a chuckle. 

“That doesn't count, it's a passive ability all empaths have… and it's not my fault that I'm one.”

“Of course it isn't your fault! But, um, getting back to the point… my real name is Dick. Dick Grayson, but you can call me Richard, I suppose.”

Raven raised an eyebrow before bursting out in laughter. “I never thought the great Boy Wonder would have a name like that.”

Robin grinned, partly from the fact that Raven was happy again and partly from sheer embarrassment. “It's a public persona, okay? I'm pretty sure all the others have one too.”

“My mother called me Rachel. Rachel Roth.”

“What?”

The empath blushed slightly, her face slowly turning light pink. “My real name. Since you gave me yours, I thought I'd give mine in return.”

“Rachel Roth, huh? It really suits you. Graceful and sweet, just like my little Raven.” 

“I don't do sweet. And besides, I'm the same height as you, _ Richard _. You have no right to call me ‘little’. I even fit perfectly into your uniform, for Azar’s sake.”

Robin's grin grew wider. “Eheh… forgot about that. Sorry, _ Rachel _.”

Raven smiled with the happiness of her real name being used and because Robin was smiling as well. “Of course you forgot. Now help me get outside so we can watch a movie. I'm bored.”

* * *

“Remind me again why I agreed to give you a piggyback ride,” Robin grumbled, pushing a smiling Raven higher on his body.

“Because I'm sick, and you promised to take care of me,” she said, grinning and snuggling deeper into the folds of her blue blanket. “Speaking of which, I'm starving- I've been stuck in my room since morning with nothing to eat.”

A wave of panic and worry washed through Robin as he set her on the sofa. “I completely forgot! I'll get you some soup. Here's the remote, you can pick out your movie.” The leader tossed the remote at her and rushed off to the kitchen. Thankfully, their friends still hadn't returned, but as she was scrolling through the list of movies they had on their television, the empath received a call on her communicator.

“Friend Raven?" Starfire called. "Are you there? I know Robin said he switched the day off for you, but-”

“What is it, Star?” Raven asked, seeing a familiar one and deciding to watch it.

“Raven, you are there! Would you very kindly tell friend Robin that we are having the bit of trouble getting the Overload in the jail and that we will be back later than we expected?”

“Sure. Take all the time you need.” 

“Thank you, friend! And Raven? Please be careful during your switched-off day.” Raven nodded and put her communicator back, leaning back against the sofa as the opening scene played.

Suddenly, she felt something cold on her head and she yelped, sparking a bout of laughter behind her. The empath blasted whoever it was into the wall with an orb of magic; had she not been ill, they would've gone straight through.

“Whoa! Raven, it's just me,” Robin exclaimed, holding his arms up. “I have your ice pack from before. And didn't I say not to use any magic while you're sick?”

“Sorry, Robin…” Raven apologized, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck. “You startled me.” She looked at him, then at the ice pack he was holding. “I thought you were going to bring soup.”

“It's still heating up on the stove. Thankfully, I didn't bring it with me, because, you know, magic blast.” She laughed nervously and let him set the ice pack on her head.

Robin vaulted over the back of the sofa, landing next to her, and the empath nestled into his side. She felt safe whenever she was close to him, and for a while, both Happy and another emoticlone she didn't know rampaged inside her before she shushed them and remembered what Starfire said. 

“Star mentioned earlier that Overload escaped while she and the others were bringing him to jail,” Raven murmured. “They'll be back later than they thought.”

“You're not falling asleep again, are you, Rave? You said you were hungry,” Robin said, combing his fingers through her hair. “And I'd expect Overload to escape, especially with only three Titans at the scene. He's like that.”

The empath sighed as she half-heartedly watched the movie. “Robin, do you regret staying here to watch over me? You could've helped get Overload to jail and just left me alone. Am I really worth all this effort?”

“You're a Teen Titan, just like the rest of us. No matter what you've done in the past or what you'll do in the future, whether you have me or not, I'll always support you. Besides, I'd rather stay here with my lovely Raven than go out and fight cri-” The leader, realizing what he'd just said, clapped his hand over his mouth and blushed furiously. “I-I'll be right back…” He took off in the direction of the kitchen, his face a bright red, and Raven sensed his embarrassment flare up. There was something else mixed in it though, and when she sensed it, that same emoticlone jumped for joy in her mind.

_ No… it can't be! This emotion… it's… love?! _

When Robin came back with a bowl of soup, the movie was already halfway through and Raven was on the verge of sleeping, her arms hugging the fluffy blue blanket she'd brought out. She snapped out of her stupor when the leader approached, his burst of emotion almost overwhelming her.

“Rae? You still awake? You better eat something,” Robin informed. “It isn't good to fight illness on an empty stomach.” Raven cracked one eye open and pushed herself up, rubbing her eyes.

“Food. Finally,” the empath yawned, taking the offered bowl. Then she shivered, wrapping her blanket around her again. “Did you turn the air conditioning on or something? Why is it so cold?”

“It's probably just your fever. Here.” Robin sat beside her and unclipped his cape, wrapping it around her frame. Then he hugged her, ignoring the rush of happiness in his body, and Raven snuggled into his arms, gulping down the entire bowl. She sighed happily and laid against his chest, placing her empty bowl and half-melted ice pack on the coffee table. 

“You’re warm, Robin… warm when everything else is so cold… I like it…” The empath nestled deeper into said leader's embrace and he hoped she couldn't hear his heart, which was threatening to beat out of his chest. From the way she suddenly giggled, though, Robin had a hunch that she knew. 

“Robin-” Raven started, her voice slurred from sleepiness.

“Shh… don't worry about a thing, okay?” the leader finally whispered. “Just focus on getting better.”

“I-I just wanted to say thank you for looking after me. I never really told you this, but, um… I love you.”

Robin's heart skipped a beat, and his face heated up as he smiled. “Love you too, Rae.” He kissed her cheek and before he could react, the empath kissed him back. Then he rest his head on hers, and they fell asleep together, the movie's end credits playing in the background.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been in a Teen Titans mood recently, and RobRae is such a good ship! I'm not hating on RobStar or BBRae (because both of those are great too), just clearing stuff up.
> 
> Doesn't mean I'm leaving the Kirby fandom anytime soon, but I felt the need to write this after seeing the general lack of RobRae sickfics.


End file.
